A Frayed Knot
by iluvjames7
Summary: Hermione and Ron are lovers whose only remaining connection is their daughter, Jane...can she help get her parents back together after eight years of strictly christmas card communication?
1. Thanks, mom!

"But mommy! I have to get to practice, it's practically the last  
one of the season—"  
"—the season started last week, honey—"  
"—and I just have to go. I can't just skip it because I have  
transportation issues! It's not my fault I can't apparate, or that  
floo's broken, or that you never want to ride broomsticks..."  
"—I'm not saying it's your fault, but Jane, that's just the way  
it is sometimes. I told you, I can't get off work until seven thirty  
tomorrow, and everyone else is busy. It's just one practice. As  
always, there will be one next week. You'll live, Jane, trust me."  
"Can...well how about dad takes me?"  
"Honey..."  
"No, really, please. I know he'd take me, you know that too.  
Please? Let me just ask him...what do you care, anyway, it's just a  
ride! Or flooing from his house or something..."  
"But...no, it's not the right time..."  
"Not the right time? Not the right time? It's the right time  
for you to stay at work late, but it's not the right time for me to go  
to dad's so he can take me to quidditch practice? Come on mom, that's  
not fair!"  
Hermione sighed. Why did Jane always end up making her feel  
like the bad guy? She supposed it couldn't really hurt...she really  
wouldn't have to spend much time with him anyway. She'd just drop  
Jane off at his house during her break and let him drop her off a  
little later at practice. She could wait in the car outside Ron's  
house when picking her up, and end up not having to see him at all.  
"O-ok...I gues...ok, well, just...well I'm going to leave it up to you  
to call your father and arrange everything. I've got to go finish  
some department filing, so I'll be in the study, k?"  
"K!" Jane could hardly contain her excitement. She hadn't seen  
her dad in over two months now. She half ran, half skipped to the  
phone, which she knew she could reach her dad with, as she bought him  
one last year.  
"Hello? Dad? It's me, Jane."  
"Jane! Hey, honey, what's up?"  
"Oh, well not much, really...I was just wondering if, well if you  
could give me a ride to quidditch practice tomorrow...mom's busy and she  
said I could ask you."  
"Yeah, sure...of course! Would you like me to pick you up? Or  
is...is Her—your mom going to drop you off at my place or something?"  
"Oh yeah, well my mom was thinking she would drop me off at your  
house during her break...so I would sort of end up spending the  
afternoon with you...if that's ok?"  
"Ok? That's great, Jane...maybe we can even go somewhere or  
something. What time's your practice?"  
"Five fifteen."  
"Ok, great, well maybe I'll think of something. See you then?"  
"Yeah!"  
"Ok, glad you called honey, love you!"  
"Love you too, dad!"  
"See you tomorrow!" Click. 


	2. Car Ride

Chapter 2  
Hermione was tapping her foot impatiently against her car's floor. She didn't usually tap her feet, in fact, she found this habit quite annoying when other people did it. But she was waiting for Jane to come out of the house so she could drop her off at Ron's. However, at the back of her mind, Hermione probably knew that it wasn't so much the "waiting" that was causing her to stress, but more of the "at Ron's."  
Now that she thought about it, Hermione realized she had been a little off all day. Little things, like putting in three creams in her coffee at work instead of two, walking into the wrong room for her meeting, tapping her feet.... And then the one big thing, something she must have been so out of her mind to do.  
For in her life, Hermione was generally very self controlled—she knew exactly where her thoughts were and could keep track of a million things at once. Multitasking was a talent of hers. But this morning...well, Hermione lost herself and did something she couldn't remember doing for nearly seven years.  
When her boss handed her a legal paper on Elf Courtesy in Concert Stadiums to review and sign, she found herself scribbling her signature as usual, only to look at the paper halfway through her last name and realize that wasn't it at all. For on the "sign here" line, Hermione had written Hermione Weas . She had done her best to forget about it, but couldn't help staring remorsefully at the seemingly huge inkblot covering her mistake on the page.  
She snapped out of her contemplative thinking when she heard a click and a "Hey, mom!" as Jane opened the car door and tumbled in.  
"Hi...honey. You ready to go?"  
"Yeah! All set mum, let's go."  
Hermione backed out of the driveway and proceeded to drive down the road. They had been on the highway for several minutes when Jane interrupted the silence.  
"You haven't seen dad in a long time, have you?" she asked, softly and somewhat timidly, as if she half feared an unwelcome answer.  
"No...I guess you're right. It's been awhile, I suppose."  
"Going on eight years or something, isn't it?"  
"Uh....yeah. Sounds accurate. Oh and Jane where's your broomstick?"  
"I put it in the trunk, mum. Didn't you hear me?"  
"Oh, yes...that's right."  
Jane stared at her mother quizzically and worried. But Hermione didn't notice as she exited the highway and continued on to her ex husband's. A/N: Sorry that was so short!! Longer chapter next, I promise....Reviews please!!! 


	3. Ron

Disclaimer: Sadly, but absolutely surely, I do not own anything Harry Potter. Chapter 3  
Ron lived in the middle of a medium sized village, in a fair sized wizarding apartment building. He lived alone; Harry had briefly roomed with him a few years back, before he married Ginny and they moved into a house of their own. He was lonely, but not because he didn't see people—he had plenty of friends at work, lived only a few miles from Harry and Ginny and Fred and George and their families, and his parents visited quite often. And sure enough, Ron had plenty of fun keeping company with all of them, but he did always feel a little bit empty inside. He wasn't afraid to admit why—he and everyone else knew he missed Hermione. And missed his chance to be part of his own family with her and Jane.  
Ron, indeed, had been quite successful in his life apart from that. He had become the manager of a rising Quidditch team for whom Alicia Spinnet played for, and lived quite comfortably. If only, he thought, he hadn't been such a git, life might have been pretty wonderful for him right now.  
He was in a good mood today, though, for his daughter was coming to visit. He hardly ever got to see Jane, as it seemed Hermione preferred to avoid any contact with him whatsoever. And anytime Ron summoned up the courage to talk to Hermione about it and he either lost that courage when she picked up or found her unreachable. But he wouldn't dwell on hard feelings today—just would try to enjoy every moment he could with Jane.  
He planned to take her out to their favorite restaurant—assuming she hadn't already eaten lunch—and then come back to the apartment and play board games. He had even gone out that morning to buy Doritos, a type of muggle snack Jane was rather fond of. And if all went well, none of the team's players or coaches would call him and he would be able to stay and watch his daughter's practice—she was a natural flyer, and Ron took great pride when he saw her on the field. He had just been going over things in his head to make sure everything was ready for Jane when he heard the anticipated knock on the door.  
"Be right there, honey!" he called. On his way to the door, Ron straightened various odds and ends around the house, a stack of Daily Prophets on the counter, and a few photo frames on a shelf. As he straightened one particular photo, one of him, Harry, and Hermione in their sixth year, he found his finger wandering over to Hermione's photo self's tiny cheek. He let himself stare at her, smiling there and holding his hand for a split second before taking two quick strides to the door and opening it. A/N: Sorry, I know it's another really short chapter, but I just didn't feel like it belonged with the rest of what's to come...review please! 


	4. Father and Daughter

Ch. 4  
Jane, meanwhile was feeling a rush of excitement as she was waiting outside Ron's door. Her mother had just dropped her off in front of the apartment, just making sure Jane was buzzed into the building. The doorman, a retired bus driver named Mr. Shunpike, was familiar with Jane and her family's story, and was always pleased when he saw Jane having a chance to visit with Ron. He was very involved in trying to get her parents back together, and sometimes even took the liberty of proclaiming to Ron elaborate stories that involved a very weepy Hermione visiting the building at night and gazing wistfully into his apartment window.  
"Hello, Mr. Shunpike," said Jane hurriedly as she walked in the door, as she could hardly wait to see her dad.  
"'Ello there, Jane. Whatcha here for today? It can't 'ave been two months already?"  
"Ah, no, Mr. Shunpike, it's just that my mum couldn't give me a ride to Quidditch practice and so I convinced her to let me come here so my dad could give me a ride and so she just dropped me off during her break so we could sort of spend the day together." Jane was slightly out of breath from saying this all very fast, but pleased that she was able to provide the doorman with all the necessary information in less than five seconds.  
"Well, see you later, Mr. Shunpike!" said Jane as she half skipped, half ran down the corridor to press the elevator button.  
"Yeah, catcha on yer way down, Jane!" he called in response as she dashed into the elevator, nearly jamming the close door button in earnest.  
  
On her way up in the elevator, Jane began wondering what her father had planned for them. Jane knew however, that it didn't really matter what they did, she would just enjoy spending time with him. It seemed that lately she was having even more fights with her mother, only emphasizing the fact that she didn't have that other parent who she could just go to anytime she wanted for consent or solace. Sometimes Hermione just made Jane so angry. Like why couldn't she act like an adult and see that her daughter and her daughter's father spending time together was a good thing? What was so wrong with her dad anyway?  
Jane didn't know what it was that caused Hermione to ask Ron to move out and then never want to see him again. Inevitably, she had of course had to see him again, but she always avoided his eye and only spoke when necessary. When she was frank with herself, she was also mad at Ron for not trying harder. He seemed almost submissive to their separation, like he had completely given up hope. Doesn't he want to spend more time with me?, Jane often wondered. However Jane always drew these thoughts to the back of her mind, only letting her negative thoughts towards her mom surface. After all, she knew from personal experience that Hermione could be a pretty scary person to challenge when she was adamant about something.  
  
The elevator door opened, and Jane strode down the hall to number 614, where she knocked on the door and waited. She heard her father yell something from inside, probably that he was on his way. A few moments later the door opened, revealing Ron Weasley, her dad.  
He was wearing cargo pants and an old t-shirt sporting the Chudley Cannons, the team he managed. His hair was a little messy, but at 34 he showed no sign of losing any of the flaming redness. Jane threw herself into his arms, letting her broomstick fall to the ground.  
"Jane, hey!" Ron exclaimed when they broke apart the hug. "Come on in, here," he said, taking her stuff away from her and stashing it in a corner. Jane smiled. She liked the way her dad's apartment smelled. Like Lysol mostly, because he was too lazy to make any cleaning potions. Glancing around the room, she noticed that, as usual, not much had changed. His apartment had that look of being picked up at the last minute, probably in preparation for her arrival, being that there was a single sock draped over the couch, and a few of the cupboards were bursting with extra stuff that probably was normally on the floor.  
"Here, sit down. Tell me what's up in the new and exciting life of Jane Weasley," said Ron, motioning towards the sitting area. Jane took a seat opposite him, and shrugged.  
"Not much, really. I should probably be getting my Hogwarts letter soon, I s'pose..."  
Ron blinked and shook his head slightly. "What? But Jane, honey, you're only..." Ron paused. "...eleven," he Ron finished, nearly whispering.  
  
Jane gave Ron an exasperated look. "Eleven, yeah...that age ring any bells?"  
"What? Oh, yeah, of course. I mean, of course I know it's eleven, I mean I remember it happening to me and all my brothers and sisters and stuff...but wow, I'd just...it had just completely slipped my mind..."  
"Yeah, I know. I mean I understand...just the other day, mum looked at me and sort of randomly said, 'You're eleven' and started crying about me getting so old or something weird like that..."  
"It's just that I ..."  
"—can't believe your little girl's growing up?"  
Ron chuckled. "Er...yeah, actually. It seems that it was just the other day you were this cute little girl in diapers running around and hiding Percy's shoes when he wasn't looking, and now you're about to go off to Hogwarts! It's just, just kind of hard to believe." He paused and then broke into a smile. "You're going to have a great time there, Jane. All the friends you'll make and stuff..."  
Jane coughed. "Just friends?"  
"Huh? Yeah, it's a great place to make friends, like within your houses and classes." Jane suppressed a laugh at what her father had obviously not picked up on.  
"Yeah, well I am looking forward to it, I guess. I-I won't ever see you though. Or mum."  
"Oh, Jane, don't worry about that...you can come home for breaks and we'll write to you all the time. And...guess who will be there?"  
"Who?"  
"Uncle Charlie's going to be teaching Care of Magical Creatures. Yeah, Hagrid's retiring. You won't have that class yet, but you'll still see him around. He and Tonks are moving into the castle, so Hagrid will still live on the grounds, don't worry. And then you'll have all your cousins there to look after you."  
"Yeah. I guess. But anyways..."  
"Yes, anyways...have you eaten lunch yet? Because I thought we might, well I don't know, you've probably already eaten--"  
"Oh, no, I haven't had anything! Let's go!"  
"What, you're reading my mind now? Neither I or H-Hermione had any talent in divination, so how are you s'posed to know I was planning on taking you out for lunch?"  
"Geez, dad, this is only what we do every time I come over practically!" she laughed.  
"That's not true!"  
Jane just gave him an incredulous look and he surrendered with another look before striding over to the fireplace. Together, they grabbed some floo and whizzed away to Spavanack's Pub.  
The small pub in Diagon Alley had been their special place since Jane could remember. Ron had told her the story of how he took her there one day when she was little, back in the days when Hermione attended S.P.E.W. rallies rather than file paperwork for the foundation, and Ron, as her husband, was entitled to take care of Jane whenever he wanted. Apparently Ron had really wanted to go to the pub that night to meet Seamus, Dean, and Harry, but couldn't, obviously, leave Jane home alone. So he took her with her, and although he wasn't completely sober when he returned yet was certainly not drunk either, Hermione yelled at him for nearly an hour. But Jane had thoroughly enjoyed herself, crawling into all of Ron's friends' laps and making music by using Ron's wand as a drum stick and tapping all the bottles behind the bar.  
They were having a great time at the pub, seeing the old bartender again and ordering their "usuals." Their conversation had been mainly comprised of silence, too, until Jane gathered the courage to ask something she'd never felt able to before.  
"Hey, Dad? Um...I was just wondering...what did you do wrong?"  
"Wrong?"  
"Yeah...like why mum never talks to you anymore. Why did you guys split up?"  
"You assume it's my fault, I see how it is..." replied Ron, trying to make humor out of the situation. Jane responded only with an expectant look.  
"Okay, okay. Merlin, Jane, it's just complicated, I guess. Wait, no, scratch that. It's quite simple, actually."  
  
A/N: okay that was a little longer...the next chapter may not be up for another week though, because I'm planning on writing more than just a few pages for it....reviews MUCH appreciated!!!! 


	5. Feeling Confused

Ch. 5  
  
The dim light of her office somehow felt more confining to Hermione than it ever had before. She vaguely wondered what she was doing there, before snapping back to reality—including the twenty page report she had promised for the next morning. It was one of those days where Hermione got so stressed out she felt like crying. Today, she just snapped her already quivering quill and blew a straying frizzy lock out of her face.  
Comfort, she was unwilling to admit to herself, was what she needed. Someone to hug her in their arms and reassure her that everything was going to be okay; that her world was still the same embracing world, her life was still on the same right track. But really, Hermione's life had lately been more of a bad dream.  
It was the sort of dream in which the person doesn't really realize how bad it was until after it's over, or at least once they're sunk quite low in it. Because nothing really bad would be happening in the dream, and everything would be going pretty okay and rather normal. Except that there would be one thing, one missing thing. And maybe the dreamer wouldn't ever realize it was missing until they allowed themselves to question why it felt so empty--why it wasn't a good dream, or even a nightmare. And even something joyous perceived in that dream world would feel not worth celebrating all out for—because life wasn't allowed to be perfect with that piece absent from the picture.  
Hermione was considering this, and falsely trying to figure out when her life became like this. It was silly of her really, to even pretend to think about it, because she knew. It was Ron, of course. What else, really, could it be? Her job, Jane, and her friends were all wonderful. Yes, her life had sunk from the place of fulfillment seven years ago.  
  
FlaShBaCk  
  
Dear Ron, Hermione's hand shook almost violently as she wrote. She stared at the greeting and decided to start over. Ron— I am writing to tell you that I think it would be best if we ended everything. I filed for a divorce yesterday, the papers should reach you about the same time you receive this. I'm sor Hermione scratched out determinedly the last word and continued. not planning on seeing you anymore. Goodbye Ron. --Hermione  
  
She gave the letter to Pig, whom her nearly ex husband had left with her. The owl seemed somewhat agitated, but Hermione, who had lost her determined look and was now bawling her eyes out, had no patience and simply opened the kitchen window and directed the owl to the sky with her index finger.  
A small, four year old Jane walked tentatively into the room. "Mummy, are you missing daddy again?" she asked, seeing her mother's puffy face.  
"Not anymore," she managed to reply.  
  
PrEsEnT  
  
Hermione was becoming dangerously close to writing a note to self about remembering to never bring up those feelings again. She had been very good, save for perhaps his birthday and their wedding anniversary, about not feeling depressed over him. Perhaps it was because Jane seemed to be interrogating and giving her grief over their break up more than usual. It wasn't as if she had cut it off to make Jane's life harder on purpose. It wasn't as if he really wanted to be married to her anyways.   
Jane was now listening intently. After all, she had been anticipating this talk for a long time.  
"I don't know if you remember this...well, I mean, you know how I used to be an Auror, right? Like before I took up the Cannons. I actually was paired up with Uncle Harry. Yes, well anyway, we...er, we had to take up a mission. It was far away—"  
"That was when you left," Jane interrupted, practically sitting on the edge of her seat  
"Er—yeah, so you remember then. Well, anyway, I uh...I had to go because it was, well it was really important. And then your mom sent me a letter a few months later saying it was over."  
"Why?"  
"Why?" Ron asked, as if he was coming out of a trance.  
"Yeah, like why did she want to get a divorce? Did you do something wrong?"  
"Yeah, well....um, she didn't really want me going. Like we sort of fought about it before I left...kind of complicated."  
"Dad, you said it was simple."  
"Well it was...we fought, I left on the job, and then she just broke up with me...I came back of course, I mean obviously, you remember me coming back, don't you?"  
"Yeah. I mean, I remember you popping your head in the fireplace from like Uncle Harry's or something and mum telling me to go to my room, and then," she continued a little more softly, "then I just heard you yelling at each other."  
"Yeah, I was just coming by to tell her I wanted to talk in person—full person—about the whole thing, and yeah...er... it didn't really work out. And she was getting all pissed at me, so I left. And she never...."  
"let you back again," Jane finished. "But why didn't she want you going? How come you didn't just stay if it was so important to her? Why did she mind so much? It's not like you were leaving forever, right?"  
Ron sighed. He was beginning to feel a little queasy. "I don't know...really. Jane, honey...it's just over, okay? We can't really change anything now, and it's fine....sometimes, relationships just weren't made to work out—they don't always last."  
The girl's insides were squirming. Weren't made to work out? How many times had her aunts and uncles described the way her parents used to look at each other? Jane knew she just couldn't stand by and not do anything. She could get them back together. She knew she could.  
For the exciting story with juicy secrets she had been waiting for really wasn't very satisfying at all. How could her parents accept that little Auror mission thing as an excuse for severing their marriage? Jane decided that if she was going to play this whole detective witch thing correctly, she would need to talk to her mum.  
"So...er, Jane? You wanna go home and play chess or something? I can help you with how you use your knight like you asked, if you want."  
"Oh...yeah, sure. Let's go, dad."  
The rest of the afternoon passed with strictly innocent, non- controversial issues between the two of them. Jane and Ron were still having a great time together—the time spent was merely a little more awkward and reserved. By the time Jane's quidditch practice rolled around, Ron was still work-free, and so he attended her practice, sitting in the back of one of the stands.  
Jane's practice was at one of the fields Fred, Angelina, George, Katie, Lee, and Alicia had set up. The six of them had organized a charity once Weasley's Wizard Wheezes had started going really well, that set aside land for quidditch pitches for teams that otherwise couldn't have existed. They had a kids' league going, one that they knew themselves and others would have loved to have as children to prepare for the Hogwarts school teams. Ron knew Hermione probably wouldn't have let Jane play if it weren't for the fact that a bunch of her old school friends had started the program.  
As usual, Ron thoroughly enjoyed watching Jane play—not just because she was a superb flyer, but also because of the way she interacted with her friends. She gave of the impression of being in complete control with them, yet she could laugh so hard at one of their jokes that she'd find herself dangling from her broom by her ankles. And when the sun bounced off of her face, Ron could just make out a charming glint in her eye, that showed off her happiness and concentration on the game...but today, there was something else there too—determination.  
When the coach blew the whistle, and all the kids touched back down to the ground, Ron got up slowly, stretching out his legs. Looking over his shoulder, he watched as a small car made its way into the small, mostly unused parking lot. The driver rolled down the window, and when Ron squinted, he saw that the person was a woman, a woman with seemingly bushy brown hair.  
Finding it hard to tear his eyes away from that spot, Ron turned to step downward towards the field, nearly tripping over himself. Once he was back at ground level, his daughter came running up to him, saying, "Hey, dad! Thanks for watching! Well, um, I just saw mum in the parking lot, so I guess she wants to take me home now...thanks for the great day! I had a lot of...a lot of fun, thanks!"  
"Oh, yeah, Jane, no problem...I had a good time, too. Just call me whenever we can get together again, k?"  
"Yeah, sure thing, dad! Bye!" she called, running into the distance towards the parked car.  
As Hermione was waiting in the car for Jane, she took her time observing the field and surrounding areas. She was glad, she decided, that Jane had something to occupy her time like this, a place where she could hang out with her friends and have fun. It sort of made Hermione jealous. As she was looking around, though, her eyes stopped when they came across the figure of a tall man. In the bright lights illuminating the field, she could distinguish his hair as being unmistakably red.  
Jane waved at her mother as she walked in front of the car, opened the door, and climbed in. "Hey mum!" she said.  
"Oh...hi, darling. Did you have a good practice? How was your day?"  
"It was great, mum! Thanks for...you know, letting dad take me. We had a good time." 


	6. Progression?

**A/N: okay, I'm really really sorry that I haven't posted all summer...my laptop's internet access has been down since I started writing this chapter, but it's fixed now so updates should occur MUCH more frequently...sorry again!**

**Thanx a bunch to everyone who's given me ideas for this fic...Persephone, Joan, Rachel, Leah...and to everyone who has reviewed...especially people who have reviewed more than once!! Mwah! **

Ch. 6

It began raining halfway through their return trip, which turned out to be a nice way to break the silence in the car. Hermione was quiet because she was thinking about the red haired man she had seen on the bleachers, whom she knew was Ron but had difficulty comprehending that in her head, and Jane was thinking about how she should approach her mother to ask the necessary questions.

Once they had pulled into the driveway, Hermione transfigured her keys into an umbrella and the pair of them huddled under it as they made their way up to the house. Once they had entered, Hermione completed a quick drying spell on the both of them and turned to talk to her daughter.

"Jane, honey? Do you want to order a pizza or something? I'm feeling kind of tired, so is that ok?"

"Uh...yeah, sure mom. Number's on the fridge?"

"Yes. I'll just be upstairs reading, call me if you need me."

Jane watched the back of her mother as she climbed the steps of their charming old house, and then proceeded to the kitchen to order in. She dialed the correct number, was put on hold, and then decided to break the connection.

She moseyed around the house for awhile before calling again, successfully ordering a medium mushroom, onion, and green pepper thin crust pizza that apparently would arrive in half an hour. Jane was like her father though, in that when she was hungry, which was often, she was starving. She spent the next few minutes rummaging around in the pantry, looking for a snack to tide her over. It was amazing, Jane discovered, what one could find if they really looked hard enough. Way in the back, there were boxes of stale, probably year old cereal, amongst half eaten crumpled up bags of chips with binder clips that used to hold the openings closed laying beside them. The pantry really was so very different from the rest of the house. Which of course was kept up to Hermione's standards.

Reaching around in the back blindly, her eyes useless in the dark depths of the area, her fingers came across a flat paper like thing, which she promptly took off the shelf out of curiosity. As she flipped it over, Jane saw that it was one of her parents' wedding pictures! There was her father, in dark blue robes, holding her mother, dressed in an elegant white gown, around her waist. They both were smiling, laughing even, and occasionally looked at each other with thrilled eyes. Jane didn't know why, but as she stared at the picture, she let a tear slide down her cheek. How could something so wonderful break apart so easily?

"Jane!" Hermione walked into the kitchen, carrying a pizza. "Jane, the pizza delivery guy must have rang the doorbell at least twice, I can't believe you didn't hear him! You ready to eat? Jane?"

The daughter looked up from the photo, startled as she realized she had gotten lost in the image.

"Honey? What's wrong? What's that?" Hermione asked, when she saw that Jane's face was tear stained. Hermione strode over to take a look. Before Jane could stuff it in her pocket and pretend it wasn't anything, her mother saw the photo.

"Oh," she said, before sighing heavily. "Jane--"

"—Can we talk?" Jane interrupted.

Hermione sighed again. She took the pizza over to the dinner table and sat down across from where she motioned Jane to sit.

"Okay."

Jane didn't quite know what to ask first. She settled with, "Why did you divorce dad?"

Hermione paused to collect herself and replied. "He had been gone a long time, Jane."

"So? What's that supposed to mean? He was just on a mission, right?"

"Well, yeah..." the sound of Hermione's voice faded and disintegrated into nothing. Jane decided to prompt her.

"Yeah...?"

"It wasn't really a very good situation." Jane was losing patience. She was tired of this whole let's evade the heart of it thing.

"Mum! Just tell me, please! Dad told me you didn't want him going, but nothing else! Why not? Wasn't he going to come back? Why was it such a big deal? He was an auror, hadn't he been on missions before?"

"He might not have come back," Hermione answered, as if she were on some sort of distant planet.

"I mean, that's why I didn't want him going." A little of the color on Hermione's face returned, and she took out a slice of pizza and began chewing.

"That, Jane, honey, was the mission to vanquish Lord Voldemort. Your father was accompanying Harry, and it was a trip that they took alone. I-I had wanted to go, but he wouldn't let me."

"You had wanted to go? Why?"

Hermione sighed yet again. "Jane, back at Hogwarts, I'm sure you've been told, Harry, your father and I were the best of friends. And while Harry was always the one who chiefly had all those dealings with the dark lord, Ron and I always went along on the adventures, unless, of course, it was one of the years where one of us was...unable."

Jane nodded, understanding, having been told the stories and circumstances of their dangerous adventures.

"I-I didn't want to be left out this time. It was like—I had been there all the times before, and with Harry and Ron going off to fight alone, I didn't feel safe. I wanted to be there, with them.

"Ron, argued of course, that it was too risky for me, and that besides there was you to take care of. I knew that I could leave you with your grandparents, either of them. He argued that it wouldn't be fair to have the chance of having both your parents die."

Jane nodded, thinking that this was a perfectly fair argument on her father's part.

"But I felt—I knew that they would be safe only if I was there...that if we both went, we'd all certainly survive, but that if I wasn't there, Ron might do something rash and pay with his life."

"He said that him going with Harry was the most important thing in the world.

He said that nothing else mattered, that this was his one chance in life to prove himself.

He didn't even think--"

Hermione looked away for a moment, blinking furiously, before facing her daughter again.

"Maybe we can—talk about the rest of this later. Don't worry about all this," she said faintly, gesturing towards the pizza box and dirty dishes, "I'll clean it up later."

Jane just sat there and nodded, watching her mother disappear from the room with weary steps and shaking her head from time to time, almost as if she were trying to rid water from her ears. She hadn't gotten up from her chair yet when Hermione poked her head back into view.

"Go to bed early, Jane, okay? I'm taking you to Hogwarts tomorrow."

A/N: longer chapter to follow (for real, yes, if you were wondering) and...reviews, reviews, reviews!!


	7. A Visit With Hagrid

Ch. 7

Hermione woke Jane up early. Too early for the summer at least, in Jane's opinion—the birds were still chirping and the grass hadn't yet dried.

To her slightly annoyed daughter, Hermione explained, "Remember what I said last night, Jane? We're visiting Hagrid at Hogwarts today, and we need to floo to Hogsmeade and then walk from there. And not without having a decent breakfast first, so get up!"

Jane wasn't really quite sure why her mother had randomly decided to visit her big friend at Hogwarts, but she got dressed and prepared to leave anyway. A pinch of powder, a pit of green flames, and a mouthful of soot later, they arrived in the Three Broomsticks, where they briefly greeted Madame Rosmerta and walked out into the bright sunshine.

It was a bustling day in Hogsmeade, one of those summer Saturday s when everybody felt like being around and about. Hermione passed several of her friends on their walk through the village, and Jane even passed one of her quidditch teammates. Jane decided the day was worth it; her mother had even said they could visit her uncles in their joke shop on their way home.

As they approached Hogwarts, Jane held her breath. She'd been here a handful of times before, of course, but it never ceased to amaze her. And to think that in a few short weeks she'd be a student here! She started to wonder, for the umpteenth time, if she'd make any friends, get good grades, make the quidditch team, be sorted into Gryffindor, have any adventures. Would anybody here ever know her as someone other than another Weasley kid, know her not just as the daughter of the famous Ron and Hermione, but as the individual person she was?

"Jane! Over this way, honey." In all her worrying, Jane had strayed from the path, toward the lake. She made her way back on track, and even took her mother's hand.

Hermione, who felt as if Jane was showing her less affection than ever these days, welcomed the feeling of her daughter's warm hand in her own. She looked down at Jane like she did so often when they were together. And every time Hermione stared, she couldn't help but see the same things: Ron's red hair, framing Hermione's face covered with Ron's freckles. Jane took short, quick steps like her mother and smiled just like her father.

Eventually, the two of them had reached Hagrid's hut and waited patiently after knocking. Three barks from Fang later, the door opened and a big smiling Hagrid welcomed them in.

"So good ter see yeh! Come in, come in!" He motioned for Hermione and her daughter to sit down while bustling around the room, taking the teapot off of the fire and bringing the plate of scones to the table.

"It feels good to be back here again," Hermione commented, once the three of them and a silence had settled.

"Yeah. The number o' times I found the three of yeh in 'ere, always talking about some adventure or other. Or else it was jus' one of yeh, usually Hermione, complainin' about Ron. Or the other way round, come ter think of it." Hagrid grinned at Hermione, who returned the gesture, although somewhat uncomfortably.

Jane was beginning to form interest in the conversation. Hagrid, she realized, could be a valuable resource for her latest project.

"But enough about them, Jane. How're yeh getting along?"

"Er—alright, I guess."

"Coming ter Hogwarts this September, right?"

"Yeah. I'm really excited, actually."

"Yeh should be. Mos' kids are pretty nervous when they get 'ere, but doesn't take long ter figure out Hogwarts is a special place. Yeh're gonna have a lot of fun 'ere."

"I hope so. Certainly not as much as my parents, though," said Jane brightly, while she hoped subtly turning the conversation topic back to her parents.

"Yeah. Well, probably nobody could match their time 'ere. I swear, Harry dragged 'em into more--"

"—hey, no, Ron and I dragged ourselves along willingly! Harry didn't make us do all that stuff, you know that!"

"Alrigh', alrigh', Hermione. It wasn't Harry who made you do all tha' stuff. I know." Hermione nodded, satisfied. "It was yer freckled face crush yeh wanted to impress, am I right?"

Hermione shot him a vicious glare while Jane just sat, bemused.

"Jus' joking, Hermione. Would be tough ter name a braver witch than yeh."

Jane took a risk and pursued an opportunity. "Was it really that obvious my mum had a crush on my dad?"

"Yeah. The way they looked at each other. And the bickerin' was a dead giveaway, I'll tell yeh that." Hagrid laughed. "Nobody could keep up a banter like those two. An' if there wasn't a reason ter fight, they made one up. This one," he pointed at Hermione, "was always on yer dad's nerves about his schoolwork. Would've drove 'im absolutely crazy if he didn' love 'er ter pieces."

It was Jane's turn to give a satisfied smile.

"You were there at their wedding, weren't you, Hagrid?"

"Yeah. Great day, tha' was. Remember how Neville stepped on Parvati's dress and caused all the bridesmaids ter nearly trip an' fall? He probably still calls the two of yeh up, apologizin'."

Hermione's eyes twinkled a little at the memory, before she sort of shook her head and snapped, "So why are we talking about my wedding, again?"

Hagrid frowned. "Jus doin' a little remembering, is all."

"The things we're remembering are actually things I'd love to forget ever happened," said Hermione, who was turning very red.

"Mum, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, Jane. I just don't really feel like talking about stupid things that happened in the past and don't matter anymore." Hermione took a deep breath, as if trying to collect herself again. She was about to say something else, to start a new conversation, when Jane interrupted her.

"Doesn't matter?" Jane cried, all of a sudden outraged. "Your wedding doesn't matter to you at all? He doesn't matter to you at all? You think you can just forget about him? Can I remind you that he's still my father, and that won't ever change? BOTH of you, not just you, and not just him, will always be a part of my life! How can you even think of trying to erase what existed for so long?" Jane was determined, and proceeded to stare down her mother.

Hermione looked into Jane's eyes for a few seconds, perfectly calm, and then started to cry.

"I'm sorry...I just...I think...I'm just going to step outside, for a moment..." whispered Hermione in between whimpers. She walked across the room and strode outside.

Jane was about to open her mouth when Hagrid said, "Jus' let 'er go, Jane. I think she needs ter be alone fer a bit." The two of them watched the sobbing woman walk up towards the castle.

The two of them looked at each other. "More tea?" Hagrid asked.

Hermione walked up the worn path towards the castle, kicking stones with the tips of her shoes and wiping the tears from her eyes. She was taking her time, but knew exactly where she was headed. She just didn't know how she would feel when she got there.

A/N: Review! Please!


	8. Promises and Decisions

Ch. 8

Hermione entered the great hall and turned right. She went up the first staircase and stopped just past the painting of the snowy forest. There was a corridor to the left here which she took before opening the first door on the left.

She found she had to control her breathing before stepping inside the empty classroom. Hermione was, however, relieved to see that the classroom had continued to remain unused—the desks still rested in disarray at the back of the room and a pile of the same dusty volumes in the corner still lay as forgotten as ever.

A line of very short—short from use, not by nature--candlesticks rested on the windowsill. Hermione brushed her fingertip over the blackened wicks and stared out of the window. Yes, like with everything else in the room, the view remained the same—a clear picture of the grounds that lay between the castle and the forbidden forest. She could even see Hagrid's hut, from which smoke arose from the fire she knew Hagrid was keeping in the company of her daughter. Hermione remembered how she used to think about her children in this room even before she had any. And as Hermione looked down at the engraving on the windowsill she began to remember a whole lot of other things, too.

For on there on the window's ledge, the letters RW HG FOREVER were blaringly illuminated by the midday sun. One of Hermione's tears fell into the crevice made by the R, and she allowed herself to think of the day when those words were created.

**fLaShBaCk**

It was a loud and noisy night in the Gryffindor common room—the students were celebrating the end of their final exams, especially the rest of the seventh years, who were done for the rest of their lives.

Nevertheless, Hermione just couldn't seem to join in with the celebrations. It wasn't because she enjoyed the tests so much, as Dean Thomas had joked, seeing her sullen expression—it was that she just couldn't shake the thought out of her head that this was it. Their last days at Hogwarts had arrived, and Hermione wasn't ready to leave yet. So while everyone else was busy setting off fireworks and uncorking bottle after bottle of butterbeer, she sat on the couch, holding her knees up to her chest.

When next she looked up, she saw that her boyfriend, Ron, was sitting next to her. He held her hand and whispered into her ear, "The classroom?"

She nodded. Hand in hand, they left the commotion of the common room and strode through the castle. Past a snowy forest painting, down a corridor, and through a door they went until they came to their special place. The place they had found the year before and had been coming to as a pair for years. Ron leaned back on the floor and Hermione sat on his lap, reclining on his strong stomach.

"So what's wrong, Mione? You looked kind of upset back there," Ron said gently. "How come you weren't celebrating?"

"I-I don't know. I guess—I guess it just didn't seem right. I don't—I don't think I'm ready to let go yet. To graduate," she replied softly.

"But why? We'll be free, we can start working and living on our own. Surely you don't want to attend classes and patrol hallways on head girl duty for the rest of your life?"

"No. I mean, I know I have to move on. But—I'm scared."

"Of what? What is there to be scared of? You-Know--"

"No, I'm not scared of Voldemort. I-I..." Hermione sighed. "I'm scared of growing apart. Can Harry, you, and I stay such good friends when we're no longer living here together? What about us? No matter what you say, it's going to be a lot different when we are living and working independently. Leading separate lives."

"It will be different, yeah—look, Mione, things have to change. Just because we're not at Hogwarts together doesn't mean we can't still stay close. We can visit each other every day—we can apparate, remember?"

Hermione nodded weakly.

"Look—how about this. I'm going to make you a promise," Ron said. "Remember when I told you I loved you?" Hermione nodded and managed a smile.

"Well, I meant it. And I still do mean it—I mean, I still love you. And I always will. So today, three days before our graduation from Hogwarts, I promise that no matter how far apart we live, no matter what comes between us, we will always spend time with each other. I, Ronald Weasley, promise that we'll always be together."

"I like that promise," said Hermione, her voice cracking a bit.

"I was hoping you would."

"But how do I know its official?" asked Hermione. "Shouldn't we have some sort of seal or something?"

"But of course," replied Ron. He gently removed himself from underneath her, stood up, and offered her his hand. He pulled her up gently and led her towards the window before pulling out his wand. Muttering an incoherent word under his breath, he placed the tip of his wand on the windowsill and as he traced letters, using his wand as a sort of quill, and the ledge became magically engraved with: RW HG FOREVER.

"Consider it official now?" Ron asked, grinning.

Hermione smiled. "Almost. I, however think there's one last thing to be done. You know, to make sure the promise is absolutely unbreakable."

"What's that?"

In reply, Hermione reached up, put her arms around his neck and kissed him.

**PrEsEnT**

_How could we forget the promise_, Hermione wondered to herself. Another voice inside her head argued back. _You had every right to break up_, it said. _He obviously stopped loving you, he was the one who broke the promise_. But then she heard his words in her head again, echoing so clearly: "we will always spend time with each other."

Briefly, Hermione wondered why she was paying so much attention to this silly promise they made so many years ago. _But if it's so silly_, she wondered_, then why did I come all the way up here again? _Hermione thought this was definitely a fair point. As soon as she stepped out of Hagrid's hut she had known she was going to her and Ron's special place. This classroom would always be imprinted in her mind as just that—the place for her and Ron, and the two of them only. It was the room where she and Ron had shared many of their firsts as a couple, where they escaped from the pressures of their classes, confided their innermost fears in each other, and dreamt of their future.

And then all of a sudden, Hermione knew what she had to do. It was going to be hard, she knew, but the promise was nagging at the back of her head, reminding her of its importance. She was going to see Ron.

A/N: i think this is my favorite chapter that i've written for this story so far...at least, it was the most fun to write!

much thanks to those who have been reviewing!

**marauder3lives**--you know you rock!! thanks for taking the time to read all my stories!

**BuckNC**--thanks so much for the review you gave me on the last chapter--it was really encouraging! (and hope you're happy that I updated fairly quickly between chapters 7 and 8!)


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